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Mrs Karen Wainwright, a long-time resident of Thailand and a horse owner, is understandably deeply concerned about the outbreak of a deadly African horse sickness in Thailand. In an effort to spread awareness of the disease, she recently spoke with.
Maxmilian Wechsler.
Please briefly describe your background.
I’ve lived in Bangkok for 28 years, having arrived here in 1992 from Northern Ireland (although lived most of my life overseas in Sudan, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Australia). My husband was employed here by a UK-based company, from which he has since retired.
What is your involvement with horses?
I’ve been horse riding in Thailand since 1992, and at one point had three horses. Two have sadly died, but lived long lives and died of old age/illness. My current horse, Tango, is a dressage horse imported from Denmark. He has won me trophies and many rosettes during the years we competed in dressage competitions but more importantly he is a very sweet natured and friendly horse with lot of character. He is now retired, aged 23 years, and leading a quieter life.
Where are you keeping your horse now and how are you protecting him from the AHS virus?
Tango is stabled at Horselover’s Club in Bangkok. So far the stable buildings have had to be enclosed in fine netting (32 eyes per inch) to protect the horses from the midges that carry AHS which are as small as 1mm. Because the net is so fine it restricts air flow and makes the stables very hot when we are already in hot season and experiencing soaring temperatures. Heat stress is a real concern for horses behind nets for all the horse owners around the country that have horses behind nets.
Fortunately our stables has an overhead cooling system installed, and a lot of extra fans have been put to use to try to keep the horses as cool as possible. The stables also have to be sprayed regularly with insecticide inside and outside. Currently, for us, our horses can be outside the stables between 9am and 4pm as the midges are at their most active within two hours of dawn and dusk.
The riding arena is in the process of being enclosed with netting to protect the horses when being exercised. Visitors to the stables have to be restricted e.g. feed and hay deliveries from the outbreak zones cannot be allowed, and essential visitors such as vets which may have been near an outbreak zone must have their cars and themselves thoroughly disinfected before entering the premises.
Maxmilian Wechsler.
Please briefly describe your background.
I’ve lived in Bangkok for 28 years, having arrived here in 1992 from Northern Ireland (although lived most of my life overseas in Sudan, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Australia). My husband was employed here by a UK-based company, from which he has since retired.
What is your involvement with horses?
I’ve been horse riding in Thailand since 1992, and at one point had three horses. Two have sadly died, but lived long lives and died of old age/illness. My current horse, Tango, is a dressage horse imported from Denmark. He has won me trophies and many rosettes during the years we competed in dressage competitions but more importantly he is a very sweet natured and friendly horse with lot of character. He is now retired, aged 23 years, and leading a quieter life.
Where are you keeping your horse now and how are you protecting him from the AHS virus?
Tango is stabled at Horselover’s Club in Bangkok. So far the stable buildings have had to be enclosed in fine netting (32 eyes per inch) to protect the horses from the midges that carry AHS which are as small as 1mm. Because the net is so fine it restricts air flow and makes the stables very hot when we are already in hot season and experiencing soaring temperatures. Heat stress is a real concern for horses behind nets for all the horse owners around the country that have horses behind nets.
Fortunately our stables has an overhead cooling system installed, and a lot of extra fans have been put to use to try to keep the horses as cool as possible. The stables also have to be sprayed regularly with insecticide inside and outside. Currently, for us, our horses can be outside the stables between 9am and 4pm as the midges are at their most active within two hours of dawn and dusk.
The riding arena is in the process of being enclosed with netting to protect the horses when being exercised. Visitors to the stables have to be restricted e.g. feed and hay deliveries from the outbreak zones cannot be allowed, and essential visitors such as vets which may have been near an outbreak zone must have their cars and themselves thoroughly disinfected before entering the premises.
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In what ways has your daily life been affected by the virus?
Currently Tango is in a high risk zone i.e. within a 100 km from an outbreak zone, but the disease is still spreading and getting closer, so it’s always possible we could end up in the absolute worst case scenario which is being in a red zone (outbreak area). Hopefully this will not be the case as all precautions are being taken and veterinary protocols followed by Horselover’s Club. Unfortunately some rural small horse owners are not following protocols such as putting up nets to protect from insects so this could lead to more transmission of AHS. Along with the stress of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a constant worry as AHS has a very high death rate – over 95% – and is a horrific death for the horses. At the moment the DLD plan is to vaccinate all horses in outbreak zones that test negative for AHS and those in a 100 km radius which means my horse will be most likely have to be vaccinated. The vaccine is also a concern as it is not without risks. Being a live vaccine, some horses can become ill or even die from the effects of the vaccine. However, the death rate is low i.e. 0.1%. So far there has been no death directly related to the vaccine here in Thailand. With my horse being old, his immune system will be compromised so I worry that the vaccine is risky for him. Vaccinated horses must be kept behind nets for 30 days after vaccination as the immunity can take at least two to three weeks to develop and if the vaccinated horse were to be bitten by a blood sucking insect during this time they could then infect other horses. During this period horses have to be monitored carefully for fever or other side effects which are quite common. |
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It is very distressing to see photos of horses that have died and hear the owners talk about their heartbreak at losing them on a regular basis on a Facebook. Horses are still sadly dying every day and it is a worrying and stressful time for all horse owners.
What purposes are horses used for in Thailand and from which countries are they imported?
Horses in Thailand are used for many purposes. There are sports horses which participate in many disciplines e.g. show jumping, dressage, eventing, western riding and endurance at local and international level, and there are many riding school horses and ponies, leisure horses and working horses. There are also quite a number of horses owned by the military.
Sports horses are imported mainly from Europe e.g. from Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark. In the past quite a few have come from Australia also.
What purposes are horses used for in Thailand and from which countries are they imported?
Horses in Thailand are used for many purposes. There are sports horses which participate in many disciplines e.g. show jumping, dressage, eventing, western riding and endurance at local and international level, and there are many riding school horses and ponies, leisure horses and working horses. There are also quite a number of horses owned by the military.
Sports horses are imported mainly from Europe e.g. from Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark. In the past quite a few have come from Australia also.
What are other horse owners in Thailand telling you?
There’s obviously a lot of discussion about AHS on social media, and horse owners are complaining that the animals which started this outbreak, widely believed to be zebras imported from Africa, have not been located or dealt with, or if they have, this information has not been made public. Horse owners worry that further outbreaks can occur if the infected zebras are not dealt with. Horse owners are angry and frustrated. They just want to know the facts, and want the importer to take responsibility for their actions.
We have been told as of 19 May that the DLD will begin an investigation into zebras in Thailand, and all zebras in the country are being monitored and will be blood tested. It seems a bit late to begin this investigation and I would imagine at this late stage it will be much more difficult to identify precisely which zebras, and which importer, were responsible for this epidemic.
Horse owners also complain about the slow progress in getting nets for all horses that are in the at risk areas. I believe the DLD have now set a budget for this and are helping supply nets to owners of working horses, but in the beginning this was not the case and a fundraiser had to be set up to buy nets for these owners.
Another complaint from owners is the slow supply of vaccines. Mid April, 4,000 were imported. There was apparently going to be a delay in getting these out to the horses which badly needed them. Owners had been trying to protect their surviving horses behind nets for days/weeks whilst waiting for the vaccines and were desperate to get them. Luckily, Khun Pongthep of Maxwin Horse feed company, very generously stepped up and paid for all 4,000 vaccines and donated them back to the DLD so that they could be distributed immediately.
These 4,000 vaccines were used up and there were still many horses needing vacation. Owners say they were told that the next vaccines will come in about one or two weeks, and another lot next month. So, once again, owners had to worry about their horses and try their best to protect their horses with nets and insecticides whilst waiting for the much needed vaccines. The second lot of 4,000 vaccines arrived in the third week of May and vaccinations have recommenced.
Of course, there are also many owners posting online about their heartbreak as their much loved horses have died, photos of the horses and photos of their graves Some horse farms have been devastated by the tragic loss of large numbers of horses.
What is the time period from when the horse is bitten to its first showing symptoms? And how long after the onset of symptoms does death usually occur?
Death from AHS occurs quite quickly after the incubation period of 3-14 days. Death can occur as quickly as on the first day clinical signs begin to show or in two or three days. It is a very unpleasant, horrible death for the horses and very distressing for the owners.
How did the virus find its way to Pak Chong, which is the epicenter of the AHS outbreak in Thailand, and from there to other provinces?
AHS first appeared on February 24, 2020 when one horse died in Pak Chong. Although at that time it was not known to be AHS. On March 24, there was a huge storm, strong winds and heavy rain, which caused a big increase in vectors (midges) in the Pak Chong area. After this about 40 horses in the area suddenly died. This became the epicentre of the disease. At first AHS could not be confirmed and blood tests had to be sent to UK for testing. Once AHS was confirmed, strict rules were put into place forbidding movement of horses from the area.
Unfortunately, some owners panicked and moved their horses to other areas of Thailand before the rule came into force, which caused AHS outbreaks in six other areas of Thailand. The disease is still spreading, for example, recently to Saraburi, Phetchaburi. AHS is carried by bloodsucking midges which bite horses and infect them. It can also be carried by wind as the midges are so tiny. In theory this can be 150 km across land or 700 km across sea with prevailing winds but whilst this is possible, most commonly transmission of the midges is from infected horses in fairly close proximity.
There’s obviously a lot of discussion about AHS on social media, and horse owners are complaining that the animals which started this outbreak, widely believed to be zebras imported from Africa, have not been located or dealt with, or if they have, this information has not been made public. Horse owners worry that further outbreaks can occur if the infected zebras are not dealt with. Horse owners are angry and frustrated. They just want to know the facts, and want the importer to take responsibility for their actions.
We have been told as of 19 May that the DLD will begin an investigation into zebras in Thailand, and all zebras in the country are being monitored and will be blood tested. It seems a bit late to begin this investigation and I would imagine at this late stage it will be much more difficult to identify precisely which zebras, and which importer, were responsible for this epidemic.
Horse owners also complain about the slow progress in getting nets for all horses that are in the at risk areas. I believe the DLD have now set a budget for this and are helping supply nets to owners of working horses, but in the beginning this was not the case and a fundraiser had to be set up to buy nets for these owners.
Another complaint from owners is the slow supply of vaccines. Mid April, 4,000 were imported. There was apparently going to be a delay in getting these out to the horses which badly needed them. Owners had been trying to protect their surviving horses behind nets for days/weeks whilst waiting for the vaccines and were desperate to get them. Luckily, Khun Pongthep of Maxwin Horse feed company, very generously stepped up and paid for all 4,000 vaccines and donated them back to the DLD so that they could be distributed immediately.
These 4,000 vaccines were used up and there were still many horses needing vacation. Owners say they were told that the next vaccines will come in about one or two weeks, and another lot next month. So, once again, owners had to worry about their horses and try their best to protect their horses with nets and insecticides whilst waiting for the much needed vaccines. The second lot of 4,000 vaccines arrived in the third week of May and vaccinations have recommenced.
Of course, there are also many owners posting online about their heartbreak as their much loved horses have died, photos of the horses and photos of their graves Some horse farms have been devastated by the tragic loss of large numbers of horses.
What is the time period from when the horse is bitten to its first showing symptoms? And how long after the onset of symptoms does death usually occur?
Death from AHS occurs quite quickly after the incubation period of 3-14 days. Death can occur as quickly as on the first day clinical signs begin to show or in two or three days. It is a very unpleasant, horrible death for the horses and very distressing for the owners.
How did the virus find its way to Pak Chong, which is the epicenter of the AHS outbreak in Thailand, and from there to other provinces?
AHS first appeared on February 24, 2020 when one horse died in Pak Chong. Although at that time it was not known to be AHS. On March 24, there was a huge storm, strong winds and heavy rain, which caused a big increase in vectors (midges) in the Pak Chong area. After this about 40 horses in the area suddenly died. This became the epicentre of the disease. At first AHS could not be confirmed and blood tests had to be sent to UK for testing. Once AHS was confirmed, strict rules were put into place forbidding movement of horses from the area.
Unfortunately, some owners panicked and moved their horses to other areas of Thailand before the rule came into force, which caused AHS outbreaks in six other areas of Thailand. The disease is still spreading, for example, recently to Saraburi, Phetchaburi. AHS is carried by bloodsucking midges which bite horses and infect them. It can also be carried by wind as the midges are so tiny. In theory this can be 150 km across land or 700 km across sea with prevailing winds but whilst this is possible, most commonly transmission of the midges is from infected horses in fairly close proximity.
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